JUBARA, TUESDAY 23 MARCH 2004, PMObservers: Adi, Rachel, Ditza, Galila, Natalie color =red> It is the day after [Hamas leader] Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s assassination by the Israeli army. The occupied territories are under general closure . There is a hamsin.14.30 The checkpoint is quiet, there is no passage for Palestinian vehicles, but a few pedestrians do go through . Most of those reaching the checkpoint are allowed through, but there is very little movement. The settlers’ traffic is as usual.There are seven detainees when we arrive; they have been here since 09:00, in the hot sun, with no food, although water is available. It is unclear why checking is held up. We call Kamil at the DCO and he calls back without an explanation : “That’s the way it is , I am not God!” Adi calls the army’s emergency line. A settler who drives past tells us she overtook two kids carrying sacks coming back from Israel; she suggests we pick them up as they look dehydrated . R. gives them a lift up to the checkpoint. One of the soldiers recognizes the kids and tells us not to help them since they keep running off to Israel. The kids stand with the detainees. Three more detainees join the group, two Israelis from Taybeh and the third, a Palestinian, who the soldiers say tried to infiltrate into Israel without a permit in an Israeli car. One of the Israelis has no identity card with him. The soldiers claim that only the police can check and release them. They say they called the police in the morning, but seven hours later they have still not arrived .One of the Israelis turns to the soldier and says: “ I have been stuck here for seven hours!” The soldier answers: “I am stuck here with you.” The Israeli then says: “This is your work; I have other work”.15.10 Two policemen from Taybeh arrive, one of whom attempts valiantly to solve problems at the checkpoint: he releases the two Israelis, whom he seems to know; releases the Palestinian as well, and another woman from Kalansua ,whose husband and two children are in Tulkarm. This he did against the wishes of the soldiers. He gave us his name and said he can be called upon whenever Taybeh residents are involved.15.30 An Israeli from Netanya arrives with her two children. Their father (her husband) is a Palestinian from a village near Tulkarm. He generally lives with them in Netanya but went for a while to stay with his family in the West Bank, and is now not allowed to return. The children miss him and want to visit him in the village. The father arrives a few minutes later. The boys, aged 10 and 14, hug their father. Apparently they applied for family reunification as long ago as in 1995 but have not yet had their request approved. They divide their time between Netanya and Tulkarm. But the construction of the separation “fence” makes crossing into Israel much harder; the father refrains from infiltrating for fear of being caught We , as well as the soldiers at the checkpoint , are fascinated by this family’s saga One of the soldiers is doubtful whether the father is really a Palestinian. “The children look so normal”(!). One tells the mother to beware of going over to the West Bank since it is dangerous. The mother laughs and replies: “This is their home, so how can it be dangerous near their father.”The finale is surprising. An officer who arrives decides to allow the man to return with his wife to Netanya. They drive off. We draw his attention to the detainees who have been standing there since 09:00 ; after close on an hour (around 17:00) and after a total of eight hours of checking they are finally released. We leave, stopping off to see Irtah on our way home – it is closed and desolate.